Aquababies: Swimming with your Baby

SPECIAL OFFER: 15% off Aquababies classes when booking using the discount code: AQUA15PC

Offer limited to one code/customer and is valid from 5th-30th June 2015. New Aquababies customers only. Not valid on Brighton Hilton classes.

Aquababies

Swimming is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding exercises you can teach your child.

It is important that parents understand the health benefits of teaching their child to swim.

Physiological benefits

Swimming is the only sport we can do from the moment we are born until we are old and grey. The physical benefits are numerous.

By introducing the breathing exercises that are taught in Aquababies, little ones are using the heart and lungs, which increases their cardiovascular output, leading to increased stamina. A huge benefit for parents is that this leads to better eating and sleeping patterns.

Psychological benefits

Often, in our busy schedules, we can’t always guarantee Quality Time, but in swimming, this is automatic.  Bonding is achieved through the mutual enjoyment of swimming together. Teachers encourage the parents to give their child loving and focused encouragement.

Social benefits

Swimming will introduce many different forms of socializing from the obvious one of meeting parents with children of the same age group to learning to accept people of different ethnic backgrounds, learning difficulties and physical difficulties.

As your child grows, swimming classes introduce activities where the children learn to share, take turns, to accept disappointments and to celebrate achievements. Children also learn to trust and respect people and their environment.

Aquababies baby swimming 2

Let’s look at some of the most frequently asked questions:

CAN I TEACH MY CHILD ON MY OWN?

One of the most important factors of swimming is confidence. By seeing you enjoying the water, and with your support, your child will learn to enjoy the surroundings of any pool. Parents can join the Aquababies classes to benefit from our years of research to learn the correct way to teach their child.

IS IT SAFE TO PUT A BABY UNDERWATER?

Fortunately, baby swimming has come a long way from the old fashioned belief that submerging your child was dangerous. Submersion can be taught in a safe and structured manner. Teaching the child to hold their breath before submersion is possible.  Popular methods used to practice this are blowing in the child’s face and word association. It is amazing how quickly a child will learn to associate the word with the action. A point worth noting is that a child who does not enjoy getting his or her face wet may not enjoy being submerged, so practicing this first step is important. Submersion should not be the main focus of baby swimming, but learning the ability to hold breath in a relaxed fashion and to be comfortable underwater is an important part of water confidence that should be taught from a young age.

It is a common belief that all babies can go under water because they can hold their breath. Babies are indeed born with the Diving reflex, which is both protective and involuntary. Most research states it lasts from birth to six months, but some research shows that this reflex can be seen in much older children.

A good rule of thumb is not to submerge an unhappy child and to respond to their individual needs. Each will progress at their own rate, but practice and gentle encouragement should produce positive results. Preparation is the key to successful submersions, which should always take place in a warm and clean pool. 

HOW DO I CHOOSE A BABY SWIM SCHOOL?

Parents should look for a structured program that separates Babies from Toddlers and a school that is informative and not just based on nursery rhymes.

And finally, one of the most important things to remember is:

BABY SWIMMING IS A LOT OF FUN!

Founder of Aquababies Julie-ann James is one of the pioneers of structured baby swim lessons, not only in the UK but around the world. She has opened the swim schools in China, Poland, Barcelona, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey and Jordan and is in negotiations with Nigeria and India. This makes her the most successful global swimming consultant. In order to focus on her international journey, she is now selling her London pools as an Aquababies Licence. If interested, please contact her directly on 077891217445.

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